Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“Never mind him,” I interjected. “At least he’s only a bank robber and not a murderer. We have bigger concerns, such as how we’re going to get to the mainland.”
“There’s a spell. With these tattoos still dulling my powers somewhat, I won’t be able to cast it alone, but with both of us, it might be possible.”
“Okay, what is it?”
“I can create a tunnel through the water, but it will be narrow, so we’ll have to go single file. And you can’t call my name or do anything to distract and make me look back. Otherwise, the tunnel will collapse, and we’ll drown.”
“We’re miles away from the mainland,” Sven said. “That’s a long way to walk. By the time we reach the shore, the prison guards will have realised we escaped. They’ll be waiting for us on the other side.”
“Not if we go the long way around. We’ll climb ashore in one of the smaller villages where they’ll be less likely to be waiting.”
“Look, it’s our only option right now, so we might as well take the chance. I doubt Serg is going to come flying back to rescue us,” I said with no small amount of sarcasm.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Vasilios took my hand in his, and we climbed down the few rocks until the waves lashed our feet. My chest still glowed with barely contained power. He squeezed my hand tight and began casting the spell. For a second, I felt like my feet levitated a fraction of an inch as the waves slowly started to part. A hollow opening formed, going deep into the sea, and a wave of claustrophobia hit me. We had to go down there, and I was terrified. Sure, I could fight my way out of a tight squeeze, but my physical strength was no match for the ocean. If the magical tunnel collapsed, the three of us would drown.
Vasilios moved toward the opening, hesitating a moment before turning back. “Remember, I have to keep my attention focused on holding the tunnel open. I can’t look back.”
“Understood,” I said while Sven nodded soberly. A few moments of weighted silence fell between us, and then Vasilios turned forward again, disappearing into the dark tunnel.
Behind us, I was vaguely aware of someone shouting. “There! They went this way!”
Two guards came running down the corridor as I stepped into the tunnel with Sven. Behind us, the tunnel closed, preventing the guards from coming after us. It was completely dark and silent as we went down, down, down to the seabed. I’d never experienced such darkness nor such silence.
We walked quietly, concentrating on moving forward and not distracting Vasilios while he kept the structure solid up ahead. By the time we were halfway across, my legs were aching. I wanted to reach out to Vasilios and ask if we could take a break, but I knew we couldn’t. We just had to keep pushing forward.
Sven was as silent as a ghost behind me, and I knew he was just as tense for us to make it through as I was. I would have blisters all over my feet, especially since I was wearing boots that didn’t fit.
On and on we marched, not one of us ever looking back to check that the other was still behind. We merely went on faith. Finally, the ground started rising, the seabed disappeared, and we were walking on a solid whirlpool of water. I could see the light above, and I silently prayed no one was waiting for us when we emerged.
I could smell the beach and hear birds chirping as we neared the surface. I let out a sigh of relief, and it must’ve been loud because Vasilios glanced behind for a fraction of a second. The tunnel wobbled. Fuck! Beneath my feet, the water was no longer solid. It quickly turned to liquid, and before I knew it the entire weight of the sea was crashing down on top of us.
Why did he look back?
More to the point, why did I let out that sigh and distract him?
My body was swept under with a powerful current. Air fled my lungs as I struggled to pull myself to the surface. Then, strong arms wrapped around me, dragging me up, and I no longer needed to struggle. Vasilios pulled me along with him until, moments later, we breached the water. Up ahead, Sven was crawling his way onto the sandy shore. Vasilios let go of me as we gasped for breath, collapsing onto the wet sand next to Sven.
“Why … why did you look back?” I finally managed to ask, my voice weak from the struggle.
Vasilios turned his head, his blue eyes flickering over me as he reached out to touch my chin softly. “I thought I heard you gasp. I thought you’d lost your footing.”